A Lesson in Hope
by ElleHarper47
Summary: A/U Klaus and Elijah face their most cunning threat yet. Hayley is dead and the brothers must navigate treacherous waters not only for Hope, but for their hearts. Featuring Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, Hope, Caroline and OC.
1. Chapter 1 - The Fear

**I wanted to try something a little different. I got this idea today and just started writing (I know - when I should be finishing up Darkness Falls). Let me know what you think!**

The parking lot was almost deserted. Elijah and Klaus sat in their SUV with the doors locked. Klaus' hands gripped the steering wheel. Elijah stared straight ahead, his face grim. Neither said a word as the events of the night replayed in their mind.

Finally, Klaus spoke. "That was terrifying."

"Did you see them - they move as one as they lock in on their prey."

"And we're the monsters," Klaus snorted.

"I saw Jackson trapped. I am filled with guilt for abandoning him," Elijah said.

"Family first, brother. It's a miracle we escaped when we did."

"We are Originals. We have faced down and defeated every threat, together," Elijah said. "We will do so again."

A tap on the outside of driver's side window caused the thousand year old Originals to jump.

"Hi!" A woman stood outside, waving to them. "I'm Marcy - Kayla's mom - she's with Ms. Greyson, in Hope's class."

If Marcy noticed it was strange that the occupants of the vehicle didn't bother to roll down the window, she said nothing.

"They are such great friends - my little Kayla and your little Hope - we should arrange a play date!" she continued loudly, oblivious as Klaus and Elijah stared open-mouthed at her, fear evident in their eyes.

"What the bloody hell is a play date?" Klaus muttered through his clenched teeth.

I don't know, but I'm quite certain I don't want to play with or date that woman."

"Here - my number," she said, tearing off a piece of paper and waving it.

"Elijah, what do I do," Klaus whimpered.

"No - no, Niklaus, I swear," Elijah hissed. "Do not roll down that window. Niklaus -"

Klaus lowered the window a half inch. "Thank you..."

"Oh, um, okay, here, let me just - squeeze that in there," she laughed a little too brightly.

Klaus took the piece of paper delicately between his thumb and forefinger, holding it as if it were cursed. He hit the button to close the window.

"Okay, well, bye - call me!"

"Drive, Niklaus."

The glow of the lights on the announcement board dimmed as they drove away:

**Crescent City Elementary School - Home of the Wolves. **  
**Parent Teacher Conferences Tonight 7pm.**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mistake

As I continue with this, I realize I should have made this A/H as well. Oh well. Also - patience. Caroline will make her appearance in the 5th chapter. :)

"I'm removing Hope from that school," Klaus declared. "I'll enroll her at St. Anne's. And the next time someone mistakes us as - _being together_ - at one of these ridiculous conferences, we won't bother to correct them."

"St. Anne's won't accept her if they think we're - why am I indulging you in this conversation?" Elijah wondered.

"This is your fault, Elijah, you and Rebekah!"

* * *

_"She needs to have a normal life, Nik!"_

_"She should have an opportunity to make friends, Niklaus."_

_"It will be good for her - she'll be with others her own age and make friends," Rebekah insisted._

_"We did not go through a supernatural war just to lock her away upon her return," Elijah stated._

His siblings did not sway him, but his daughter had. When he tucked her in for the night, she pleaded, "Please, daddy - I want to go to school."

At the start of the school year, he enrolled her in First grade.

One month in, he received a text, an email, a formal letter in the mail, and a flyer Hope brought home, announcing a Parent Teacher Conference.

Klaus asked Elijah to come with him, since they both helped Hope with her studies.

**Earlier that Evening:**

They dutifully sat in the auditorium as Principal Elliot gave a presentation regarding future plans, state test scores, and pleas for money.

"Christ, I'll give him my paycheck to shut up and give me a taste of the bottle he's got hidden in his desk," one of the parents had muttered behind them.

After the presentation, they made their way to Hope's classroom.

Ms. Greyson was standing outside her classroom, greeting parents and shaking hands.

"Hello, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, smiling and shaking Klaus' hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"And you as well, Ms. Greyson," he said charmingly as he shook her hand, then stepped inside.

He had met her on the first day of school, when he had walked Hope to her classroom.

Klaus knew everything there was to know about Amelia Greyson. He practically fell asleep reading the dossier that had been compiled on her. The only important thing about her - in his mind - was that she had no supernatural affiliations.

But he supposed he liked her - he hadn't felt the immediate urge to rip open her throat, and Hope spoke about her all the time in glowing terms.

"Hello, Elijah Mikaelson," he said, also shaking her hand and smiling.

They flat-out refused to sit in the ridiculously tiny chairs meant for children, instead, they chose to stand, in the back of the classroom.

They politely gave Ms. Greyson their attention as she talked about her class and her teaching philosophy.

As she spoke, Elijah took in her appearance. She was young, but tried to make up for it by dressing conservatively - or badly, he couldn't tell.

She wore a red sweater set paired with an unflattering beige skirt that might have been acceptable if it wasn't so long. A pair of black flats completed the - he hesitated to call it an outfit.

Her light brown hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and she wore no makeup, except for a light coat of lipstick, which was exactly the wrong shade of lipstick to be wearing.

On the plus side, she had a nice smile and her eyes were bright with animation as she discussed her students. She was clearly enthusiastic about teaching.

"Now, the fun begins - I'm going to ask all of you to step outside, and when it's your turn, I'll call you back in. We're going alphabetically, so - Mr. and Mrs. Archer, you're up first."

Once in the hallway, Klaus blew out his breath. "I don't want to be here all night," he muttered. "Let's start compelling -"

"Vervain in the punch," Elijah said softly.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Bloody Human Faction. Wonderful. I'll just amuse myself by looking at tacky artwork with an over-abundance of glitter."

"Your daughter is the queen of glitter," Elijah said mildly.

"That's different - she is a prodigy," Klaus said arrogantly.

"Well, I think it's wonderful we have such a progressive and upstanding couple we can welcome to our community."

Curious, both Klaus and Elijah turned to woman holding court across the hallway.

"I mean, it is a shame, they're both such handsome men, but - to each his own and if they've found love, then _c'est la vie_! Oh, hello," she said brightly as she noticed Klaus and Elijah looking at her.

"I know, you must think we're just horrible talking about you, but we were all just saying how great it is that you're proudly out and the heck with what anyone thinks!" she said with a tinkling laugh.

"Out?" Elijah inquired.

"Well - you know - gay," she said.

Klaus burst out laughing. "He's my brother."

"Oh?!" she said, a new tone entirely creeping into her voice.

"Hope's mother died a few years ago," Elijah said.

"Yes, tragic," Klaus confirmed, not sounding like it was a tragedy at all. "My brother and sister help me to raise my daughter."

"Oh, how sad," another woman said, this one with impossibly blonde hair, a dozen bangles on her wrist and wearing what looked like her young daughter's t-shirt.

She pushed her way forward. "And - there's no Mrs. Mikaelson," she asked, looking to Elijah.

Too late, the brothers realized their mistake. As one, the single - and the not-so-single - mothers of the children of Crescent City Elementary turned to them.

_Bloody hell._


	3. Chapter 3 - Family of Wolves

Dr. Cami O'Connell, the school psychologist, came out of her office and made her way down the hall. She was busy looking at the files in her arms and didn't notice the crowd of women, or the two Mikaelsons.

Klaus spotted her first, but Elijah was faster - or more determined. He used just enough vampire strength to shoulder Klaus out of the way and reached Cami first.

"Darling," he said smoothly. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her lingering kiss.

"Wha -"

"I'm sorry, darling, I know you hate public displays of affection, but I couldn't help it, I haven't seen you all day."

"Please, just go with it," he whispered.

"I-"

Marcel came up from behind them. "Hey - Elijah. You congratulating Cami?" he grinned.

"Hm?"

Marcel looked to Cami. "You didn't tell him yet?"

"I-"

Marcel put his arm around Cami. "We're engaged!" he announced to the entire hallway.

Elijah stared wordlessly at Marcel, then shot his gaze to Cami, who smiled as she raised her hand, showing off a massive diamond ring, and said, "Just a few hours ago -"

"Con-gratulations," he managed to get out, before stepping aside and letting them pass.

Now he was the do-good brother helping his baby brother raise his little girl, and just got dumped. In public.

They were on him like bees on honey. Offering condolences and patting his arm, and saying, "Oh, you poor thing."

He glanced at Niklaus - as usual, there would be no help from that quarter.

"Mr. Mikaelson," Ms. Greyson called out into the hallway.

"Here!" Klaus all but shouted, and shoved his way through the crowd of women anxious for his attention.

Klaus and Elijah entered the room swiftly, slamming the door shut behind them.

Only then did they realize that Ms. Greyson was still in the hallway.

"So sorry," Klaus smiled apologetically, opening the door and allowing her to enter, before firmly closing the door.

"Everything alright?" she inquired mildly. "You two seem a little jumpy. You haven't found Mr. Elliot's secret bottle, have you," she whispered.

They laughed politely and somehow managed to pull themselves together.

"Well, Hope is an absolute joy to have in class. I must say, with her history, she's adapted very well," she began.

"History?" Klaus inquired sharply.

"Her mother's death, Mr. Mikaelson," she said gently. "I understand Hope was very young when her mother died - three years old, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Now," she said, shuffling some papers around her desk, "there are no details in her file, and I'm not asking -"

Klaus and Elijah spoke at the same time.

"Car crash," Klaus said.

"Plane crash," Elijah said.

She looked at the two of them, confused.

"The plane -" Elijah started, using his hand to illustrate.

"Crashed," Klaus added.

"On the highway," Elijah finished lamely.

"There was a fireball," Klaus trailed off, mimicking an explosion with his hands.

Ms. Greyson looked horrified.

"Very tragic," Klaus said, wondering if this night would get any more ridiculous.

"Quite," Elijah said, wondering why on earth they hadn't concocted a cover story for Hayley's death.

"Oh my - that's horrible, I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Mikaelson," she said. "I had no idea -"

"If you don't mind, Ms. Greyson, it's all rather difficult to speak of, as you can imagine," Elijah interrupted.

"Of course, well, um, as I was saying, Hope is a joy to have in class - she's a very bright and curious girl. She reads at an above-average level, and is very quick with her numbers. I imagine that's because of your involvement with her studies at home."

"We are a family of scholars, Ms. Greyson, we see to it that Hope benefits from our - experience, in addition to what she learns here," Klaus said.

"Well, it's working," she smiled. "I only wish more parents were as involved in their children's studies as you are."

She continued. "Hope is very imaginative and quite creative. She makes friends easily and is very even-tempered."

Klaus beamed with parental pride.

"However, I do have one concern," she continued.

Klaus' smile fell. "Do tell."

"As I said, she's very creative, and she's quite the little artist," she said, pulling out a file folder. "Here a just a few examples of her drawings."

Klaus and Elijah both reviewed the drawings laid before them, but could see no discernible reason for concern. Perhaps a few too many rainclouds, but the season was unusually rainy for this time of year.

Klaus raised his eyes from the drawings to look at Ms. Greyson. "I'm sorry, Ms. Greyson - is there something here I should be concerned with?"

"These are all drawings about family, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, pulling one towards her and pointing out images. "As you can see, this is you - this is 'Uncle Elijah' - this is 'Aunty Bex'."

"Yes. Her family," Klaus growled.

"And throughout the drawing, she's drawn what I had originally assumed were dogs, only - well, she calls them wolves, Mr. Mikaelson."

Klaus and Elijah looked down to where she was pointing.

She was right - all over Hope's drawings were multiple wolves, with black fur, which they had mistaken for rainclouds, yellow eyes, which they mistook for the sun, and -

_Oh bloody hell, were those fangs - were those red dots supposed to be blood splatters?_

"They are her favorite animal," Klaus offered weakly.

Ms. Greyson smiled. "Well. Dr. O'Connell doesn't feel there's a need for alarm, but I did want you to be aware."


	4. Chapter 4 The Bridesmaid

They arrived home, slammed the car doors shut, and stalked into the compound.

"Cami called," Rebekah grinned as they walked in the door and headed into the library.

"Since when have my two big brothers been unable to handle sexually repressed women swooning over them?" she teased.

"Since we cannot kill any of them," Klaus muttered, heading straight to the liquor. He grabbed a bottle of scotch and began to drink from the bottle.

"They were on vervain," Elijah said, reaching around Klaus to grab the bourbon. He hesitated, then grabbed a glass as well. "We could not compel any of them."

"It must have been just terrible" Rebekah said sweetly.

"They were harpies, sister," Klaus said, wounded at her lack of compassion.

"Braying laughter," Elijah said.

"Clawing talons."

"Cheap perfume."

"Plastic ti -"

"Oh, don't be vulgar, Nik," Rebekah begged.

Klaus snorted. "Could barely hear a heartbeat in one, she was so - covered with plastic."

"Oh, and if anyone asks, Hayley died in a sort of plane-car crash combo on the highway."

"Be certain to mention the fireball," Elijah said sarcastically, "that really helps to sell it."

"Shut it," Klaus muttered. "Like you were any better."

"Didn't we come up with a story for her death?" she wondered out loud.

"No," they answered in unison.

"Mm," Rebekah shrugged. "Well, other than the horrible harpies, how was it, what did Ms. Greyson have to say about Hope?"

"Hope is all that is wonderful and likes to draw snarling wolves in pictures with her family," Klaus said, raising his glass in a toast. "Cheers."

"Oh. Well, I suppose they are a part of her family," she trailed off.

Elijah shook his head. "There is no cause for alarm, Cami covered when it was brought to her attention. But perhaps we should not be so graphic when telling her bedtime stories - Niklaus."

Klaus nodded his head.

"Good then," Rebekah smiled. She waited a moment before continuing.

"I also have some exciting news."

"It's not news if you have a date, Bekah," Klaus said.

She ignored him.

"Well - as you know," she smirked at Elijah, "Cami and Marcel are engaged - and she's asked me to be her Maid of Honor!" she squealed.

"I've never been a bridesmaid before, so I am quite excited," she continued.

"You've never been a bride before," Klaus muttered.

"And whose fault is that?!" Rebekah screamed at him.

She recovered her temper and continued.

"I understand that the Maid of Honor - me - is the most important person at the wedding. Well, besides the bride," she said dismissively.

"And the groom," Klaus muttered.

"Possibly the parents," Elijah said.

"A-ha! And since I raised Marcel, and am the only true parent he has ever known - I am more important than you - the lowly bridesmaid," Klaus crowed.

"Oh, Nik, don't - why must you ruin everything for me!" Rebekah cried.

"Niklaus, stop teasing her," Elijah said, rubbing his temples.

"But I cannot help it - I am Marcel's parent," Klaus smirked, as he got up to walk away. "As for you, sister - always the bridesmaid."

"Wha - what does that mean?" she called after him. "Nik - I have not heard that saying before, what does that mean?"

She turned to Elijah, who was also quickly walking out of the room. "Elijah - what does that mean - always the bridesmaid - Elijah!" she called as he left without another word.

She hurried to the desktop computer and quickly opened Google. Within moments, she began to wail.


	5. Chapter 5 You Volunteered

A week after the disastrous Parent Teacher Conference, Klaus' phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Mikaelson - it's Ms. Greyson, Hope's teacher."

"Ms. Greyson - what can I do for you?"

He wondered why she was calling - Hope had been home for an hour and had said nothing about Ms. Greyson wanting to speak with him.

"I was wondering if you were on your way," she continued.

"My way?"

"Or if you forgot."

He put as much charm into his voice as he could. "I'm afraid you have me there, Ms. Greyson."

"You volunteered for the Carnival Committee -"

"The what?"

"Carnival Committee - it's our Spring fundraiser for the school. There was a sign-up sheet the night of the Parent Teacher conference. I believe this is your signature I'm looking at - it's a little hastily written, but Mrs. Terrance assures me that you did sign."

He thought back to the the night of the Parent Teacher Conference. After they had concluded their meeting with Ms. Greyson, they had tried to make their escape unobtrusively, but had been corned by an extremely pushy woman who had kept shoving a clipboard in his face. Elijah bolted, and he only made his escape after signing his name to whatever sheet had been pinned to the clipboard.

"I thought that was for cookies," Klaus said feebly.

"Um, no - 'fraid not," she chuckled nervously. "Anyway, the meeting started 15 minutes ago and, well, congratulations, you've been elected President of the committee."

"Not cookies?" Klaus said desperately.

"There are no cookies, Mr. Mikaelson," she said firmly. "I suggest you get here before Marcy Kimball puts her motion on the floor to include a Bachelor Auction as part of the carnival festivities - she brings it up every year - I have a feeling it'll pass this time - hello? Mr. Mikaelson?"

"REBEKAH! Take Hope to dance class, I've got to go! Sweetheart, daddy loves you!"

Rebekah came out of her room and looked at Hope, who had also come out of her room.

Hope, adorable in her ballerina outfit, shrugged.

* * *

Klaus made it to the school within minutes and had no trouble finding the room where the committee was meeting.

"Yes, dear, I understand that, but I am certainly not letting the driver's ed class from the high school be in charge of the valet parking!"

"Do we really need posted signs warning people with peanut allergies that, yes, there are peanuts at a carnival?!"

"If you can talk the mayor into releasing additional funds to my department, then I will be happy to authorize the overtime to run background checks on all the carnies!"

"For god's sake, Marcy, drop it! For every one Mikaelson, there's ten Harrison's - and no one will pay to date a Harrison!"

"Hey!" Mona Harrison said.

"Well, of course I didn't mean you, dear, I meant your brothers - you're just lovely."

"Well, let me tell you, I absolutely refuse to man the dunk tank this year! Those Zimmerman brats aim for me every time!"

"Mm?" Mrs. Zimmerman looked groggily around the room at the mention of her triplets.

"Oh for - did she get into her boys Adderrall again?"

"The poor thing needs an intervention."

"Well, if she's not manning the dunk tank, then I refuse to be holed up in that disgusting food truck all night!"

"We all take shifts -"

"YOU never show up for your shift - for the last six fundraisers!"

"Ladies, if we could please sit down for just a moment, I'm sure we can - Mr. Mikaelson," Ms. Greyson said, catching sight of him inside the doorway. "Welcome," the relief was obvious in her voice.

"Ah - yes. Hello. Ms. Greyson. Har - Ladies," he used the term loosely.

"Ms. Greyson is correct," he said, stepping into the room and reminding himself that he was indeed, a 1000 year old Original Hybrid.

"Let us all take a seat and conduct this - meeting - with some semblance of order," he smiled.

They twittered and smiled as they took their seats.

"Now," he said cautiously as he approached the head of the room, where Ms. Greyson was sitting.

"Ladies - and gentlemen," he said, surprised to see three men sitting quietly in the corner. "I understand that I have been elected to - er - lead this - committee," he said.

"Well, Mr. Mikaelson, when we heard that you had so generously volunteered your time,"

"In spite of how busy you must be,"

"With your civic duties and charity work,"

"Since you're one of New Orleans leading business men,"

"We just figured you would be perfect for the job!"

Ms. Greyson gently cleared her throat. "The President is also required to be at every committee meeting," she said softly, pushing a packet of papers towards him. "The guidelines and bylaws of the Carnival Committee - you'll want to brush up on that."

"But I wasn't even here!" he hissed to Ms. Grayson.

She looked at him with pity. "Page 4, Section 7. Committee members can be elected even if they're absent during the actual - vote," she whispered.

"Ah. How democratic." He turned to face the room, the quickly turned back to Ms. Greyson, who was less threatening. "What now?" he murmured.

"Election of the remaining positions: vice president, and treasurer."

"Shouldn't there also be a secretary?" he asked.

She smiled ruefully. "It's not a coveted position and - I was a few minutes late -" she trailed off and shrugged.

"HAH!" Klaus felt better, now that someone else had also been shanghaied into serving on the committee board.

She glared at him.

He cleared his throat and turned to face the room. "And now to the next order of business - the election to fill the remaining positions. Let us begin with the position of the Treasurer -"

And immediately the room erupted into chaos.

"It's my turn!"

"That position is mine, I've earned it after four years serving on this damn committee,"

"It's Austin's last year, I want that position!"

"My husband is an actual CPA! Ted, say something!"

"I'm a CPA," Ted said, clearly bored.

"It's only your second year serving,"

"There's nothing in the bylaws," Ted's wife began.

"Enough!" Klaus roared. In the immediate silence that followed, he said, "You - Ted, is it? You're a CPA?"

Ted nodded.

"And does anyone else have any actual experience handling a treasury? No? Fine, Ted, congratulations, you're Treasurer," Klaus declared, proud of himself for solving one problem.

_This isn't so bad_, Klaus thought, smiling. _I am the King of New Orleans, my word is law, it will be the same here._

The silence continued and he looked to Ms. Greyson inquiringly.

"Um - you can't," she said, shaking her head. "There's a vote."

"Fine," he said between clenched teeth.

"Well, there has to be a nomination first, then a motion - sorry," she whispered, noticing a slight twitch on his face.

He drew a deep breath. "I nominate Ted - _why are you shaking your head?!_"

"You can't - you're President, you can't nominate -" Ms. Greyson began.

"Someone - anyone," he said in his tone that made vampires, witches, and wolves cower, "better nominate Ted -"

"Morgan," she whispered.

"Morgan, in the next five seconds, _I will reign hell on this room!_"

"I nominate Ted Morgan for treasurer!" Mrs. Morgan screamed.

"Second,' Ms. Grayson said quickly.

"Now, vote!" Klaus threatened.

"All in favor?" Ms. Greyson asked, then counted hands as they slowly lifted.

"Against?" and noted the few remaining dissidents.

"The ayes have it - congratulations, Ted," Ms. Greyson said, smiling at him encouragingly.

"Thanks...?"

It was clear to everyone from Mrs. Morgan's wide smile that she was more thrilled at Ted's unexpected rise in the Carnival Committee hierarchy than he was.

"Now, as to the position of vice president," Ms. Greyson began.

She wasn't certain, but she thought she heard Mr. Mikaelson whimper.

* * *

**So I am having a lot of fun writing this story - and especially this chapter! I hope you're enjoying reading it. This story is actually going in an entirely different direction that I had originally planned. And I apologize - I miscounted, I thought Caroline would be making her appearance in this chapter, but it's actually the next one. As always, THANK YOU for the reviews, follows and favorites - I appreciate it very much! **


	6. Chapter 6 Murder Mystery Dinner Theater

**This is a long chapter, but I promised Caroline - so enjoy!**

* * *

An hour later, and Ms. April Thomas was elected Vice President.

Klaus adjourned the meeting shortly after - the one piece of power he apparently did have - and stood by Ms. Greyson as the group filed out, chattering amicably with one another despite almost coming to blows moments earlier.

Ms. Greyson closed her laptop she used to make notes, and began to gather her things.

"You did very well, Mr. Mikaelson."

He stared at her incredulously.

She smiled kindly at him. "Truly. Last year, we were here until 8 o'clock."

"I will kill them all," he stated.

She laughed. "Every president says that - I'm happy to say it hasn't come to murder yet."

"How does anything ever get done," he asked, utterly bewildered.

"Welcome to PTA politics," she said dryly. "It's give and take - diplomacy."

He shook his head. "That is more my brother's area of expertise," he said. "I am more of an -,"

_Enforcer_, he thought.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Diplomacy is not my strong suit."

"You'll be fine - um - a piece of advice," she said hesitatingly. "You'll want to choose your battles and um - perhaps not be as strong-willed next time."

"What did I do wrong?"

"Well, the part about reigning hell was a bit much - they'll turn on you if you keep that up."

"You have the Morgans on your side," she continued. "Mitzi is eternally grateful for being moved up the social hierarchy - she'll vote however you want, and she'll have Ted vote the same."

"And - you, you're on my side, right?" he asked, hating the sound of desperation in his voice.

"Of course," she smiled. "Don't worry, we'll survive this together."

The next day, Klaus sat in the library, reviewing the Carnival Committee's guidelines and bylaws.

"I have read contracts in Latin that are less confusing than this," Klaus said, referring to the papers scattered all over his desk.

He sighed. "Elijah, you will have to lead the Faction Meetings from now until - whenever this ridiculous committee ends."

"As I've been doing," Elijah murmured.

"Yes, well, who has time for being King of New Orleans when you are the President of the Carnival Committee," Klaus said sarcastically.

"You declared yourself King three years ago and have yet to show up at a Faction Meeting. Do not blame your sudden commitment with the Carnival committee - "

"Would you like to switch?" Klaus snarled.

"All I am saying is that we have new Faction Members who have yet to see your face - it would not kill you to take a hand in guiding this city that you shed so much blood for."

"Rebekah," Klaus continued, deciding to ignore Elijah. "You will have to take Hope to dance class from now on."

"Fine - although I do not see why I cannot simply teach her," she pouted.

"She is taking ballet lessons, sister - whatever talents you possess, ballet is not one of them," Klaus said.

"As I said, fine. It's really too bad though -"

"What is?" Klaus asked impatiently, as he continued to read through his copy of the bylaws.

"Well, I do feel badly for you, Nic -"

"If you have something to say, sister, then say it," he snapped.

"It sounds like you'll be so busy with the carnival committee, you won't have any time to even see Caroline..."

"What?" he asked sharply, giving his sister his undivided attention. _Caroline is in town?_

"I was in my favorite coffee shop this morning when I saw this," she smirked, waving a flyer. "She's in town - she's actually managed to get a job as an actress with a touring company."

"Give it!"

"Apparently the poor thing couldn't make it on Broadway - or anywhere else in between," she shrieked with laughter as Klaus grabbed the flyer from her.

"Wha - what is this?" he asked, looking from the flyer to Rebekah.

"Can you not read, brother? She's with a murder mystery dinner group, Nik! It is pathetic!"

"Well, that is not - indicative of her talent - it is a hard industry to break into!" he defended.

Rebekah snorted. "She's horrible."

"You do not know that - I'm sure she's -"

"Terrible."

"She has to start somewhere -"

"God-awful."

"Rebekah -" he warned.

"Either way, we will find out," she gloated.

"What?"

"I've gotten tickets for all of us to their little show. Tomorrow night, 7 o'clock."

* * *

The next night, the Mikaelson family arrived at the Cajun Valley Family Restaurant.

"Mr. Mikaelson!"

"Ah - Ms. Kimball," Klaus said. _Blast_, he thought. Could he go nowhere in this town anymore without running into some infernal committee member?

"Oh, please, call me Marcy! Are you here to see the show - well, of course you are, d'uh, Marcy!" She giggled loudly.

"And you - "

"Oh, I'm a hostess here, let me take you to your table - I've got a good one right up front - good thing you know someone." To his horror, she then winked at him.

"Perfect," Rebekah purred.

"Ah, no! Ms. Kim - Marcy," Klaus said. "We prefer a table not in the front - how about that one?" he said, pointing to a table hidden in the back, in shadows.

"Are you sure, I'm more than happy to -"

"Positive."

They settled at their table, and Hope chattered amicably about her day at school until the waiter arrived to take their order.

The room began to fill up with other patrons. Before long, their orders arrived.

"Daddy, my chicken nuggets are cold," Hope whined.

"Eat your vegetables, darling," he murmured distractedly, ignoring his own food, and tapping his fingers on the table while waiting for the show to begin.

"They're soggy!"

"This is rather disgusting," Rebekah agreed, poking at her steak with her knife.

"Fine - we will go out for pizza after," Klaus said, craning his neck as if he could see backstage.

"YAH!"

The lights dimmed, and the performance began.

Rebekah took out her phone to begin recording.

"Put that away!" Klaus hissed.

Two minutes in, and Klaus' stomach began to sink.

Rebekah put her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands, smiling ecstatically at the downfall of the former Ms. Mystic Falls. "This is just awful!"

Five minutes in, Elijah stood up silently to leave.

"Sit down!" Klaus hissed.

"No!" he hissed back. "I am sorry, I will do many things for you, including taking a white oak stake to the heart, but this - no," he said shaking his head. "Hope, I am leaving, do you wish to come with me?"

"Yes, please. Sorry, daddy - but that lady is really bad." She slipped out of her seat, and she and Elijah left.

Rebekah giggled.

The end could not come quickly enough. Throughout the performance, other patrons did as Elijah had, and left. By the time the curtain finally fell, the room was half empty. One or two patrons clapped politely, but quickly stopped when no one else joined in.

Klaus sat in his seat, stunned. In a 1000 years, he had never witnessed such a horrible performance.

Caroline was just - terrible. Awful.

Rebekah stood up, still grinning. "Well, I have numerous phone calls to make," she said, gathering her things to leave. "I suppose you're off to visit her backstage?"

He nodded mutely.

"I don't know why you bother," Rebekah muttered. "She hates you, you know."

"Hate is a - strong word," he started.

"They are her words as I recall. The last time you saw her, she said, in front of me and a dozen others, and I quote: "Klaus Mikaelson, I hate you -I don't want to ever be with you - leave me alone."" Rebekah quoted dramatically.

"She was over-wrought with emotion," Klaus excused. "She had just gone through an ordeal -"

"Of your making! She was kidnapped by your enemies, and tortured - all because they found out that you liked her! Nik - truly, you need to leave her be," Rebekah said, looking at him with sisterly concern. She sighed when he said nothing and walked away.

Klaus stayed in his seat a few moments longer. What on earth was he going to tell Caroline?

He would be supportive, he decided. If this was his inamorata's dream, he would not be the one to squash it, he told himself firmly. That is what lovers - friends - did, they supported one another, he thought determinedly.

He would tell her that she was lovely - which was true, she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Even if her dress was a bit too low-cut in his opinion.

If necessary, he would lie - he would lie right to her face, he would stare into her beautiful big blue eyes - alright, so he couldn't lie to her.

Well, there had to be something - one good thing he could tell her.

She hadn't fallen off the stage, had she?

He made his way backstage, and knocked on the door that had a piece of masking tape on it with her name.

Caroline had come into her dressing room a few minutes prior. She had already removed her costume, and was covered in her robe. She sat in front of the dressing table and began to take off her jewelry when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called a bit too eagerly. She wondered if it was one of her fellow cast mates, coming to invite her out for a drink - they hadn't exactly been - friendly - towards her since she joined.

"Oh," Caroline said when she saw who it was. "Klaus. What you doing here?"

She didn't know why she was surprised to see him. It was his town after all. She should have known better than to think she could slip and out of town without him eventually finding out.

"Hello Caroline. I heard you were in town. I am hurt that you didn't send me tickets to this - performance."

"I didn't think it was your kinda thing," she said.

"It is you, so -"

"Right. Well," she said, turning to continue to remove her makeup. "What'd you think? Did you enjoy it?"

He couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

"God, no, you were terrible."

Caroline froze, staring at him via her mirror.

"Sorry - I meant -"

"No - no, you know what, that's fine, you - you're entitled to your opinion," she replied coldly.

"Caroline, sweetheart, - I've seen hundreds - thousands of performances and - darling, I'm sorry, you're just - not good."

"I'm surprised you bothered to stay!"

"I wanted to leave," he muttered.

"Why didn't you - I certainly didn't invite you! You could have left anytime."

"Caroline, angel, don't be that way - do you truly believe this is your calling, sweetheart?"

"YES. I love it," she said, "It's what I've always wanted."

"Performing in a murder mystery dinner group? _That_ is your dream?"

"Yes - no! You know what, I don't know why I'm talking to you - you can leave!" she said, standing and pointing to the door.

"Sweetheart, I'm trying to help," he began.

"By telling me I suck!? Gee, thank you. This is why you don't have friends! And everybody has to start somewhere!"

"Love, your dressing room doubles as the broom closet! This is not the beginning, this is where they store mop buckets! And I have friends," he said as an afterthought, wondering why an image of Ms. Greyson popped into his mind.

"If this is truly your dream, then why not take acting lessons - "

"I - am - a - drama- major! I went to drama school at Whitmore!"

"Ah, yes, Whitmore - the bastion of acting schools," he said sarcastically.

"Not all of us are millionaires!"

"You are a vampire," he hissed. "Compel your way into Julliard, or any number of other acting schools."

"NO! I want to do this right! I want to earn it!"

"That is your humanity talking," Klaus snapped.

"It's not -I couldn't," she blurted out.

"What?"

"I tried," she confessed miserably. "But every reputable school I auditioned for had at least one vampire on the Admissions committee - They wouldn't let me compel my way in. I guess vampires take the arts very ser - seri- seriously!" She sat down and put her head in her arms and began to cry.

"I'm horrible!" she wailed.

"What - no - who said that," he said, desperate to make her stop crying. "I will rip the hearts out of those who dare say so."

"You did," she cried.

"What do I know?"

She cried harder.

"Caroline - sweetheart, don't cry. You just need a bit of direction - let me help. I have an idea," he said slowly.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pizza and Reflection

After they left the performance, Elijah took Hope for pizza at Antonio's Pizza Parlor in the Quarter. Since it was Friday night, and since Antonio's had the best pizza in town, the place was packed.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Mikaelson," the hostess apologized. "We're full up right now, but as soon as a table opens -"

"Elijah!"

Elijah looked to see Marcel, sitting in a booth and waving him over.

"We'll join our friends," he told the hostess.

As they approached, Elijah saw that Marcel was not alone - Cami was sitting next to him, and across from them sat Ms. Greyson.

"Hi Uncle Marcel! Hi Dr. Cami! Hi Ms. Greyson!" Hope sang out as she climbed into the booth next to Ms. Greyson. Elijah eased in next to her.

"Marcel," he nodded.

"Cami," he grimaced, still embarrassed about what happened the last time they met.

"Elijah," she grinned. It wasn't often she saw the cool Elijah blush, or look discomforted.

"Ms. Greyson."

"Mr. Mikaelson, it's nice to see you again," she said, smiling.

"We just sat down, haven't ordered yet," Marcel said. "How come -" he said, nodding to Hope. As a rule, he knew Klaus rarely allowed Hope to have pizza, or any type of junk food.

"We just returned from Cajun Vally," Elijah began.

"Oh," Marcel groaned in sympathy. "We tried that yesterday - man, did you see -"

"Unfortunately," Elijah said while Hope giggled.

"It was really bad!" she said.

When Ms. Greyson looked confused, Cami explained. "Cajun Valley hired a murder mystery theater group to entertain while you have dinner - it was awful - we left after the first act."

"So why just you two, where are Klaus and Bekah?" Marcel asked.

"Still there, to my knowledge," Elijah said, starting to peruse the menu.

"What, why?" Marcel laughed.

"Caroline," Elijah said, "is part of the - performance." he said, without looking up from the menu.

"Caroline -" Macel mused.

"Wait, THE Caroline?" Cami asked.

"Yes."

"Who -" Ms. Greyson asked.

"A woman Klaus has been chasing since forever," Cami rolled her eyes. "Wait, which one was she," she asked.

"The blonde," Elijah answered.

"Oh - wow," Cami said, shuddering. "She was the worst one," she began.

"But daddy loved my mommy, didn't he," Hope asked.

"Yes, of course he did, darling," Elijah said. She didn't see him shaking his head in a 'hell no' manner above hers.

Hope turned to Ms. Greyson. "My mommy is dead," she told her.

"Yes, I know," Ms. Greyson said kindly.

"She died when she," Hope continued.

"Hope! That is not an appropriate topic of conversation at the dinner table," Elijah admonished. All he needed was for Hope to tell Ms. Greyson the story they had told Hope about Hayley's death, which most definitely did not involve a gigantic fireball.

Their waitress appeared. "Hi, my name's Ann, I'll be taking care of you tonight."

* * *

Amelia unlocked the door and walked into her home - a small, comfy two bedroom house, with a patch of grass her realtor swore was a yard. Her kitchen was massive - she liked to cook - and the living room was crowded with books. Her office was equally crowded with teaching materials, continuing education books, her computer and a boxes of school supplies for the less fortunate kids.

She moved to her bedroom and began to undress. Dinner had been - _strange_, she thought. It was supposed to be just a simple dinner with Cami and Marcel. She didn't mind being the third wheel when it was Cami and Marcel. She liked them both and seeing them together gave her hope that perhaps one day, she'd be lucky enough to find love, with a man who adored her.

And then he had shown up - Elijah Mikaelson, along with his niece, Hope. Elijah Mikaelson - perfect hair, perfect suit, perfect everything. He was handsome, nice, polite, intelligent, and single, from what she could gather. None of that bothered her.

No, what bothered her was that she was completely uninterested in him.

She sighed as she began to run the water and let her bathtub fill. No, the person she was interested in was his brother - the other Mr. Mikaelson - Klaus.

She smiled when she remembered how bewildered and freaked out he had been facing the committee. It had been endearingly cute.

She had fallen for him the moment he had stepped into her classroom on the first day of school. He had been holding Hope's hand, and as they walked into her room, he scanned the entire room as if looking for ninjas to attack. Her heart beating wildly, she had approached, and introduced herself to him.

_"Hi - I'm Ms. Greyson," she said._

_"Klaus Mikaelson," he said._

_"Ah - and this must be Hope," she said, smiling and stooping to the little girls level. Hope nodded shyly._

_"My name is Ms. Greyson and I'm so happy to have you in my class this year, Hope," she continued softly. We're going to have a lot of fun this year, and you're going to learn a lot - I promise."_

_Hope smiled, and she led the little girl to her cubicle, where she could place her lunchbox and coat, then introduced her to a group of children already playing. She looked back, and saw him still watching. _

_She walked back to him and smiling gently at him, she said, "She'll be fine, Mr. Mikaelson."_

_"She - she did not say goodbye," he said,wounded._

_"It's best not to," she quickly said. "It's better if you don't make a big deal out of it."_

_"Mm." He had stood there, and for a brief moment, she wondered if she'd have to push him out the door. _

_"Right. You - you have my number in case -" _

_"Of course."_

_"And you'll call if -"_

_"Absolutely."_

_"Right. Well then. I suppose I should be off."_

_At that moment, Hope looked back at her father and waved. He smiled brightly and waved back, but she had already turned back to her new friends. _

_His eyes swept the room again, as if to identify hidden danger. And when he apparently found none, he let out his breath slowly. "Right - well - goodbye then, Ms. Greyson."_

She saw the love and adoration in his eyes for his daughter and that made her fall for him even harder. When he had smiled at his daughter, his entire face lit up, and her breath caught in her throat and her heart had fallen. She could only nod when he said his final goodbye, and when he walked away, he had taken her heart with him.

She carried on normally. She loved teaching, and she loved all of her kids, even their constant questions and their insatiable curiosity.

She still went out with her friends: shopping, yoga, lattes, drinks, dancing, dinner.

She went on a few dates her friends set up, but nothing ever came of them. She had met no one yet who made her heart pound as Mr. Mikaelson's did. She called him 'Mr. Mikaelson, even in her mind, so that she wouldn't slip up and call him "Klaus" as if they were friends.

She told no one that she had fallen for one of her student's parents. She could only imagine how terribly cliche that would sound. She didn't chase him, or make up excuses to see him. She kept their relationship strictly parent - teacher. On the three occasions he had see her, he made it clear that he only saw her as his daughter's teacher - and someone who could help him navigate the treacherous waters of the Carnival Committee.

And now apparently, a woman he actually wanted to be with was in town. She sighed again as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The woman was blond, and probably drop-dead gorgeous, while she - she was pretty, in a girl-next-door way. A little curvy. She knew her best features were her eyes and smile. She didn't wear much makeup, and her clothes - well, she was around little kids all day. She went for comfort, she wasn't trying to make a fashion statement.

She could imagine the type of woman Mr. Mikaelson dated, and it wasn't her.


	8. Chapter 8 - Agreement

**Hello everyone! This is an extremely long chapter, but a lot happens. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you very much for the feedback - I love reading your reviews, and I appreciate all the follows and favorites! **

* * *

Caroline and Klaus sat at the bar of the Cajun Valley Restaurant, in relative seclusion.

"So let me get this straight," Caroline said slowly. "You want me to stay in New Orleans, with you - as your pretend fiancee? All so you can avoid having to deal with cougars?"

"Yes," Klaus said, pleased that his sweetheart seemed to catch on quickly.

"And in exchange, you'll compel the admissions board of any acting school of my choosing to accept me?"

"Yes," Klaus said, smiling.

"NO!" Caroline cried.

His face fell. "But - why not?" he whined.

"Klaus, that's just - wrong!" she said.

"Oh, so it's better I just kill them all when they get on my last nerve, leaving a bunch of orphans in my wake?"

"You fought a supernatural war for three years and won - you're the hybrid, you're the king of your little city," she said dismissively. "You should be able to handle a bunch of cougars on the - Circus Committee," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Carnival Committee," he replied automatically. "and you haven't seen them! Love, they're devious - I don't even know how I ended up on that committee - there were supposed to be cookies!"

"You like cookies? What kind? I like chocolate chip, but only if they're fresh from the oven - now I want a cookie - " she mused.

"What - no, angel, focus!" he snapped.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Klaus drew a deep breath and leashed his temper. True, he loved his inamorata more than life itself, but sometimes - she could get a little sidetracked.

"Sweetheart, it's only for a few months - I'll even hire you an acting coach to come and give you lessons while you're here," he wheedled. "I just need your help for a little bit, to convince them that I am off the market. You'll get a lovely little vacation - I'll take care of all your expenses while you're here, you won't have to worry about a thing," he coaxed.

"Yeah, except people trying to kill me because they think I'm with you!" she cried.

"That was not my fault, dearest! That was three years ago and you are recovered. And that will not happen again," he promised. "The city is peaceful now, no harm will come to you while you're here."

"The city is peaceful now?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes," he said proudly - although it was more due to Elijah's diplomatic skills than anything that kept the city from falling under again.

"No one is after you?" she asked, still suspicious.

"No one," he said, smiling and shaking his head.

"Okay - so you would let Hope - your daughter - walk anywhere in the city, alone?" she asked, putting him on the spot.

"Well - sweetheart, she is six, she can barely remember to look both ways before crossing the street -"

"So, the city is not safe," Caroline said.

"Caroline, there will always be some upstart who wants to make a name for himself by trying to take us down -"

"Forget it," Caroline said, grabbing her bag. "Not interested," she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

The next morning, due to Caroline's supernatural hearing abilities, she heard members of her troupe rolling their suitcases to the van.

"What's going on - I thought we weren't leaving until tonight?" Caroline asks.

None of them will look her in the eye. Finally, Pete, the quasi-manager, approaches and says, "We're getting a head start and you're fired."

"What? but -"

"Goodbye, Caroline - sorry, it just didn't work out," he said, climbing into the van.

Caroline stood there a moment, stunned. _Not again!_ she thought.

She slowly made her way back to her room. She looked around the dingy motel room - a replica of all the dingy motel rooms she's been staying in for the past two months.

Through her tears, she grabbed her clothes and other things and jammed them into her suitcases, heedless of organization this once. She hailed a taxi and directed the driver to take her to the most luxurious hotel the city has to offer, and she compelled herself a penthouse suite.

Later that afternoon, after a long hot shower, a ninety-minute massage, facial, and mani-pedi, she's sipping a latte on the patio of one of the restaurants in downtown New Orleans. _What am I going to do?_

Elijah sees her as he's walking by. "Caroline -"

"Oh - Hi, Elijah." She doesn't know why she's always so flustered around him. _Oh god, was he there last night too?_ She doesn't know why, but his opinion matters to her.

"What are you doing here?" _Wonderful opening, Elijah - that doesn't sound rude at all._

"May I?" he asks, indicating the empty seat across from her. _You'll be late for the Faction meeting_, a voice whispered in his head. He didn't care.

She nodded, and he took a seat.

"I was fired," she blurted out.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Elijah said, and refrained from saying that it wasn't a surprise.

She looked at him helplessly. "Did you see -"

"Mm," he says, trying desperately not to say anything negative.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "You think I'm horrible too, don't you?"

He grimaces and her face falls.

"I think you have a great many skills and talents to offer the world - would it be so bad if acting wasn't one of them?" he asked gently.

"But - I like acting," she said softly, struggling not to cry and wondering why she minded so much that Elijah thought she was horrible.

Elijah watched as she struggled not to cry and as her fingers absentmindedly tore her napkin into tiny pieces.

"I think you can you do anything you set your mind to, Caroline. If you truly wish to become an actress - a good actress -" _I cannot believe I am going to encourage this foolishness_, he thought, "then I suggest you take Niklaus up on his offer."

"He told you about that?" Her eyes met his.

He nodded. Out of all of Niklaus' ridiculous schemes to win the fair Caroline's affections, this one had to be the most ridiculous. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear his brother had started reading romance novels. He had merely shook his head and walked away when Niklaus had told him - and he ignored the feeling of pleasantness that had coursed through him when Niklaus shouted after him that Caroline had refused.

She furrowed her brow in concentration. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

He sighed. "Of course not. It is the most ridiculous idea I've yet to hear come from his mouth - I've no doubt that this foolishness will somehow blow up in his face, at which point, he'll blame me for the entire debacle. But, if he's willing to provide you with an acting coach while you're here, and compel the admissions board on your behalf," he shrugged.

"Well, can't you -" she began to smile, wondering if she could get the mighty Elijah Mikaelson to compel the admissions board for her.

"No," he flatly refused. When he saw her stunned face, he went on to explain. "It's not that I don't believe in you, Caroline, or your - ability. I just think your talents are better suited elsewhere."

"Oh," she said, unsure of what to say.

"Niklaus is going to be a while - he's at a committee meeting this afternoon. Why not come with me to my Faction meeting - you're a visiting vampire, we encourage our supernatural visitors to come and tell us how the city is fairing." _Since when?!_ a voice in his head screamed.

"Okay," she nods, smiling.

It is one thing he likes about her - no matter what adversity she may be facing, she never stays down for long.

They walk in the sunshine and start to head in the direction of the Quarter. He notices that she walks awfully close to him, and that her eyes are darting everywhere. He can feel her tense as they approach the Quarter.

"Is the city safe now?" she asks - worried and remembering the last time she set foot in the Quarter.

_When Klaus and Elijah arrived, she saw both of them, but she couldn't look away from Elijah. He operated with a cold fury, more deadly than Klaus, as he made his way steadily and quickly to where she was bound. It had been Elijah to reach her first, and break the vervain laced shackles holding her - to gently brush her hair away from her face._

_"Are you alright," he asked harshly, in contrast to his gentle touch._

_She could only nod, scared by the intensity in his eyes. Klaus arrived then, pushing Elijah away, biting into his wrist and forcing her to feed from him._

He realizes she's apprehensive and he smiles down at her. "It's alright, Caroline. You're with me. No one will harm you."

* * *

The Carnival Committee worked together seamlessly; Klaus and Ms. Greyson, as well as April Thomas and Ted Morgan, operated the meeting with efficiency.

Ms. Greyson watched covertly as Mr. Mikaelson held his temper, employed diplomacy when needed, and ruthlessly shut down the more asinine proposals. He looked to her occasionally for a second option, and she would mostly back him, or bring up a point he had overlooked.

He looked to Ted for confirmation whether or not the budget could withstand the estimated proposals. Ted merely shook his head yes or no, a man of few words, which Klaus appreciated.

Occasionally Ted was driven to add something extra. "Certainly, if we offer valet parking, there will be additional costs even if the attendants are volunteers - most notably, insurance. We can't afford it, unless you want to want to have valet parking and an empty fairground!"

Klaus couldn't help but notice that Ms. Greyson was a swift typist - she continued to take the meeting notes on her laptop - then wondered if she'd be available to type his memoir, which was languishing in a box somewhere. He found himself staring as her slender fingers flew across the keyboard, and smiling as she concentrated.

"This is not how I wish to spend my Saturdays," Klaus grumbled as he carried a box full of supplies to Ms. Greyson's car. After the meeting had adjourned, he found himself staying behind to help her clean up and gather the carnival supplies that were beginning to pour in. When she had lifted the box from the table, he had automatically taken it from her. "Thank you," she smiled.

"It'll get easier," she said, walking beside him and carrying a few tote bags.

"You said that last time," he said dryly.

"Why did you say that diplomacy wasn't your thing?" she asked curiously.

He merely looked at her, and said, "It's not."

"But - you did really well in there today. You prevented Mrs. Dawson and Ms. Geller from coming to blows - you offered them both a fair compromise."

He shrugged, and tried not to show that he was pleased with the praise. "That was nothing - rather obvious solution, I thought."

She popped the trunk of her car - revealing other boxes of school supplies.

"Ms. Greyson, I think you have an addiction," Klaus joked as he noticed the boxes overflowing with notebooks, pencils, crayons, tissue boxes, and other First grade paraphernalia.

"No, it's - some students can't afford all of the items on their school list, or we just run out of supplies halfway through the year. I buy these in bulk whenever there's a sale."

"Ah," he said, storing the box in her trunk. "Why do you do it? Carnival Committee, and this," he said waving to the extra school supplies.

She smiled brightly at him, and for a moment, his breath hitched as he stared at her. "I love it - despite all the - problems - I love being a teacher and I love being able to help the school with Carnival Committee."

He smiled, and for a brief moment, they just stared at one another.

"Well," she said, turning to close the car trunk. "Thank you again, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Of course," he said, "enjoy your weekend."

"You too."

* * *

When Klaus arrived home, he heard laughter and squeals coming from the kitchen. When he walked in, he was greeted with a sight he had never seen before.

Elijah - suit jacket and tie off, in an apron, was by the stove, grilling bacon and scrambling eggs, while Caroline - his Caroline! - was helping Hope mix pancake batter. Pieces of batter had flown onto both their faces and the result was _utterly enchanting_, Klaus thought, grinning foolishly.

Elijah noticed him first - "Brother, how was it?"

"Hi daddy!" Hope cried, hopping off of the chair she was on so she could reach the counter. She ran to him and he scooped her up, hugging her, and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello sweetheart - what's all this then?" he asked, his heart pounding as he looked at Caroline, who was smiling.

"We're making brenner!" Hope said.

"Brenner?"

"Breakfast for dinner," Caroline explained.

"I see," Klaus said, putting Hope down. "And - you're here?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes," Caroline said. "We'll talk more about it after dinner, but yes - I'm here."


	9. Chapter 9 - New Friends

**Hello! I'm so sorry for the delay - had a bad case of writer's block. Back on track now. Enjoy!**

A few days after Caroline's arrival and the household was finally beginning to settle into a routine. Elijah spent his days reviewing Faction business. Klaus was out most afternoons dealing with the Carnival Committee. Rebekah and Caroline had started off in the spirit of Mean Girls, but that wore off quickly - the two were now engaged in polite frenemy territory.

Caroline was currently with her new acting coach and it was time to take Hope to her dance class.

"Come on, Hope, we're going to be late," Rebekah called out.

"Coming!" Hope dashed down the stairs to where her aunt was waiting.

They walked through the Quarter, on their way to the Dance! New Orleans studio, where Hope took her ballet lessons.

As they walked inside, Hope rushed ahead to join her friends. They walked and giggled into their studio. Rebekah took a precautionary glance around the studio, then walked down the hall to the lounge.

There were no parents allowed inside the studio while class was in session, and the lounge was a nice place for parents to sit and relax for an hour - if they didn't have other errands to run.

Rebekah nodded to a few parents she knew, but made no effort to speak to them. She discovered long ago that she had nothing in common with the soccer mom crowd. They liked to talk about their husbands, their houses, and their kids. Rebekah had resigned herself to the fact that she would never have any of that.

She took a seat near the window and opened her purse to pull out her book - only to realize that she had left her book in her other purse. She sighed and her heart sank. _Great - now I have to spend an hour doing nothing._ Leaving Hope for a few moments while she dashed home and back wasn't an option - Klaus would kill her.

She momentarily thought about joining the conversation the soccer moms were having, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She glanced around the lounge, hoping to see a discarded newspaper or magazine- nothing. Well, there was always the bulletin board.

She made her way to the wall holding the large bulletin board covered with announcements. Offers of babysitting, plant sitting, pet sitting (no snakes), guitar lessons and more greeted her. _Perhaps I'll take guitar lessons_, she mused. She knew how to play the piano, harp and violin - how hard could learning the guitar be.

After a few moments, she became aware of a man standing next to her, diligently reading the announcements as well. He seemed to be particularly focused on the ad for a used washer and dryer. He caught her eye and blushed.

"Hello," he nodded.

"Hello," she replied and continued to peruse the board. She hoped he wouldn't try to talk to her - he wasn't her type at all. He was only a few inches taller than she was - if she wore heels, she's tower over him. He wore a suit, rumpled, and his tie was crooked. Too bad, she thought. He was rather cute - he had nice thick wavy brown hair, and his glasses accented his brown eyes.

_Earn a Free Beach Vacation - Start Working from Home Today!_ met her eye.

"I wouldn't - it's a scam," he said, noticing what she was reading.

"Oh - right," she said. "I knew that, I just -"

"Oh. Good," he said, turning back to the announcements. "Huh," he said more to himself.

When he noticed Rebekah looking at him inquiringly, he said, "They're holding an amateur ballroom dance contest next week - to raise funds for the Crescent City Elementary School Carnival."

"My niece goes to Crescent City. My brother is actually on the Carnival Committee."

"Poor guy," he said feelingly.

She laughed lightly. "Yes, it's rather poetic that -" she cut herself off abruptly. "Do you have children at Crescent City?"

"Not yet - next year my daughter will enter First grade. I suppose you'll be at this then," he indicated to the flyer promoting the dance contest. "Since your brother's on the committee?"

"Ah -" Actually, she didn't know. Klaus had said nothing to her, or anyone else for that matter, about a ballroom dance contest. Was he going to spring it on her at the last minute, and just assume she didn't have plans?! Oh, who was she kidding, she hadn't had a proper date in years. "I suppose," she trailed off.

"Do you dance?"

"I - well, I do, I'm rather good," she blushed modestly.

"Are you entered?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Well, no, I had no idea," she trailed off. "And it's next Saturday - I wish I had known about it earlier, I would have found a partner to -"

"How about you and me then?"

"What?"

He smiled. "I used to take ballroom dance lessons when I was a kid - my mom was a dance instructor. If you're as good as you say - maybe we have a shot."

"I - what?"

"I'm sorry, I'm doing this wrong," he said. "I should introduce myself before inviting you to a dance."

"You- you're inviting me to a dance?" Rebekah felt a thrill shoot through her - she had never once been invited to a dance in the last century.

"Well, sure - I mean, you don't have a jealous husband or boyfriend, do you?"

"I - no!" she exclaimed. "But - what about you - your - wife?"

"Oh, I'm single - divorced, actually - please don't let that scare you, it was very amicable," he hurried on to explain. "Lila's mother is - a free spirit. She didn't like being married - or at least she didn't like being married to me. She's living in a commune in New Mexico now. It's worked out better for everyone."

"Lila?"

"My daughter. Oh, and I'm Henry - Henry Fowler. I'm with the New Orleans Police Department."

"Oh," Rebekah said, impressed.

"It's boring," he assured her. "Nothing dangerous - I'm a digital forensics scientist. And you are -?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, mentally shaking herself from wondering what a digital forensics scientist was, "I'm Rebekah - Mikaelson."

"Well, Rebekah, how about it? Would you like to be my partner at this upcoming dance contest?" He grinned at her.

"Yes," she said, smiling, "yes, I would."

"Great! There's an empty classroom down the hall - let's see what we can do," he said, holding out his arm for her.

She giggled lightly, then placed her hand on his arm as he led her out of the room. She began to mentally scroll through her shoe collection and identifying the ones with kitten heels so she wouldn't tower over him while they danced.

XXXXXXX

Cami and Amelia were in line at their local coffee shop, waiting for Rebekah to arrive. The three of them had decided to meet today to begin planning Cami's wedding.

"Thank you so much for understanding," Cami said for the umpteenth time. "She's a great girl, but well, she can be a bit - much, if you know what I mean. When I called her to ask her to be a bridesmaid, she misunderstood and was so excited about being my Maid of Honor - I didn't have the heart to tell her -"

Amelia laughed. "It's no problem, Cami. Besides, with Carnival Committee, it's probably a good thing someone else is available to help you out with everything. I mean, she will help you, right?"

"Oh, yes, I'm not worried about that," Cami laughed. "Whatever I need, whatever I want, I'm sure she'll make it happen - she's very organized and, er, determined."

They received their orders and grabbed a booth that had just opened up. As they sat down, Cami saw Rebekah come in. "Rebekah," she called out.

"Hi," Rebekah said, grinning broadly as she rushed up to them.

"Rebekah, this is my friend and other bridesmaid, Amelia," Cami said, making the introduction.

"Hello," Rebekah said, shaking Amelia's hand. "I've heard so much about you," she continued.

"Oh?" Amelia asked, looking to Cami, who looked confused.

"From my niece and brother - well, brothers, Klaus and and Elijah - Mikaelson, I'm their sister, Rebekah - Hope's aunt."

"Oh, yes, of course, I didn't realize," Amelia trailed off, her stomach clenching as she realized this was Klaus - Mr. Mikaelson's sister.

"And this," Rebekah continued, turning around and pulling a beautiful woman forward, "Is Caroline - Klaus's - fiancee," she muttered.

"Hi," Caroline said awkwardly. "I'm so sorry to intrude, but Rebekah insisted and -"

"You don't mind, do you, Cami? I mean, obviously, she's not going to be in your wedding, but I wanted to get her away from my brother - the house, I mean, and well, she doesn't have any friends, poor thing,"

"I have friends," Caroline replied tightly.

"In New Orleans, darling, let me finish," Rebekah said sweetly. "And anyway, she's just the sweetest girl, and we're great friends and I know you'll love her too."

"Caroline?" Cami asked. _Good lord, no wonder Klaus never made a move on me all those years ago - she's gorgeous! _

"Hi," Caroline said, reaching out and shaking Cami's hand. "Congratulations on your upcoming wedding." She turned to Amelia, "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name, I'm Caroline."

Somehow, Amelia found her voice, "Amelia." _This?! This beautiful woman - who, by the way, didn't look a day over seventeen, was Klaus's - Mr. Mikaelson's fiancee? This was the woman Cami said he'd been chasing 'forever?'_ She felt sick; she felt like she had been punched in the gut. She fought to control the hysterical laughter building up inside her.

_Of course_, she thought. _Of course he saw her as only his daughter's teacher, of course he never made a pass at her - why would he when he had this - goddess on his mind! ohmygod, even her skin is like porcelain,_ she thought as she shook Caroline's hand.

"Fiancee?" Cami asked. "You're Klaus' - fiancee?"

"Yes," Caroline replied, hoping her smile appeared genuinely happy and not as a grimace of distaste.

"It was so sudden," Rebekah laughed. "They've been - friends - for ages, and when she arrived in town again, they just decided to get engaged."

"Congratulations," Cami said, still bewildered. Everything she had ever heard about the elusive Caroline indicated that she wanted nothing to do with Klaus, _but who knows, maybe his charm finally wore her down._

"Thank you," Caroline said graciously. She wasn't Miss. Mystic Falls 2010 for nothing.

"When are you planning on getting married?" Cami asked.

"What? Oh, um, we haven't set a date yet - we're just enjoying being engaged," Caroline said.

"Let's go order our drinks, shall we," Rebekah said, grabbing Caroline's arm and dragging her to the counter.

Cami and Amelia looked at each other. "Well - she seems nice," Amelia offered.

"Yeah - I'm just surprised. Everything I know about her - I thought she hated him."

"Love finds a way," Amelia muttered.

"I guess so."

Amelia realized in that moment that Klaus Mikaelson would no sooner look at her in a romantic light than he would a fish and made her decision. "Hey - you mentioned you had someone you wanted to set me up with?"


	10. Chapter 10- Into the Night

Saturday night and the Mikaelson clan, including Caroline, were gathering in their parlor for drinks before heading out to the amateur dance contest.

Elijah arrived first, and poured himself a drink. Before he could lift the glass to his lips, Caroline walked in and he froze.

She smiled brightly as she greeted him. Her hair was down, in waves, falling against her bare shoulders. Her gown was emerald green and fit her perfectly, with the skirt billowing out and swaying softly as she walked.

"You look beautiful," Elijah managed to say.

She blushed and smiled at him. "Thanks - so do you - handsome, not beautiful."

He smiled and tossed his drink back. "Would you care for one?"

"Ah, no, I'll wait until later. Has Rebekah -"

"Yes, she left earlier to meet Henry and register," Elijah said.

They fell into an awkward silence as they waited for Klaus and Hope to come down. _My god, has their ever been another man in the history of the world who can look that good in a simple suit?_ Caroline thought.

Moments later, Klaus and Hope appeared. Caroline smiled at Hope, and said, "Hope, you look beautiful!"

She giggled and politely said, "Thank you, Caroline - so do you."

"I am truly the luckiest man to walk the earth tonight - I have not one, but two beautiful princesses on my arm," Klaus said, staring at Caroline.

While her smile for Hope had been genuine, she merely rolled her eyes at Klaus' compliment.

"Shall we go?" Elijah said abruptly, slamming his glass a little harder than he intended onto the desk.

Klaus looked at him with narrowed eyes, wondering what had put his brother in a foul mood - _probably Faction business_, he thought. And since he had no intention of letting business get in the way of his evening with Caroline, decided to let it go.

He smiled and held out his hand for Hope and his other arm for Caroline. She hesitated for a brief second before walking over and taking his arm. Per their agreement, on nights such as this - where they would be seen together in public - she stayed close to Klaus. If she thought that simply smiling and standing by his side would pacify him, she was quickly robbed of that notion. The few times they had gone out in public,Klaus never left her side, and more often than not, managed to either hold her hand, or have his arm around her shoulders.

During this past week, she had met a few of his business associates and friends, as well as a few committee members. She hadn't exactly believed him when he told her how predatory they were, but after meeting a few, she had to agree with him that he wasn't just imagining it.

To her surprise as well, she was getting along with his family too. Sure, she still got a little tongue tied around Elijah, but everyone did - he was just so intimidating. She had been nervous about being under the same roof with Rebekah, and after a few half-hearted Mean Girl moments, decided they were both too old to be playing that game and decided to be friends. Rebekah had dragged her along to meet a few of her friends and Caroline liked them as well. But most of all, she adored Hope.

For the millionth time, Caroline wondered how Hope managed to be so sweet and good-natured, kind and loving. Considering what she knew of both Klaus and Hayley, she expected their child to be a hellion, but she was the complete opposite. Klaus had explained to Hope that Caroline was a "good friend" of the family and Caroline had insisted that he never kiss her in front of Hope - she didn't want to confuse or hurt the little girl when it came time for her to leave.

XXXXX

They arrived at the ballroom where the amateur dance contest was being held. As they were making their way to their table, Klaus' phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Mikaelson - it's Ted, Ted Morgan."

"Yes, Ted, what can I do for you?" Klaus rolled his eyes, wondering why Ted was calling him on a Saturday night.

"Well, I got the financial reports for the committee here, and - I'm sorry, but there are some massive discrepancies here."

"What?"

"Apparently we're twenty thousand in the red," Ted said.

"That's impossible," Klaus growled.

"Yes, I know that, but I've reconciled these reports three times and - that's the number that keeps popping up. Do you know if anyone else has any reports, or receipts to explain all this?"

Klaus sighed helplessly. "Uh - Ms. Greyson?"

"Okay, well, why don't I meet you and Ms. Greyson at your place?"

"What - why do I have to be there?" Klaus demanded.

"This is a committee meeting and you have to be present, especially since it's a financial matter - have you read the handbook?"

"Shut up about the handbook, Ted," Klaus said, frustrated that his evening with Caroline was ruined. "Fine, I'll head over to Ms. Greyson's and pick her up and meet you at my place."

Klaus hung up and found Caroline, Elijah and Hope talking to Cami and Marcel. She looked questioningly at him when she saw his face. He nodded brusquely to Marcel and Cami before turning to Caroline. "I have to go."

"What?"

"I have to go, committee business, there's a financial discrepancy and apparently I have to be there while they review the books."  
"Oh - do you want me to -"

"No - you stay, Rebekah will throw a fit if both of us aren't here to cheer her on. No reason for both our evenings to be ruined," he said miserably. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

"It's okay," she smiled. "These things happen."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'll make it up to you."

She smiled and said, "Really, Klaus, it's okay. We'll be fine."

He kneeled down to Hope to say goodbye. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but daddy's got to go fix something," he said.

"That's okay, daddy. I can dance with Uncle Elijah later - and Caroline can too!"

"Yes, thank god for Uncle Elijah," he said, smiling as she hugged him.


	11. Chapter 11 - Into the Night Part II

Klaus drove to Ms. Greyson's house, fuming the entire way since his night with Caroline was ruined.

As he was about to knock on her front door, it opened. A man was holding the door open and a women was about to step through. Klaus gaze went from the man to the woman next to him - _I didn't know Ms. Greyson had a roommate - oh_ - he thought.

That was Ms. Greyson standing there in front of him.

For the first time since he's known her, she's let her hair down, and it framed her face, in soft curls. It's also the first time he's seen her wearing any kind of jewelry, and makeup.

She wore a simply navy dress, to her knees, with a gold braided belt circling her waist and accentuating her curves. Strappy gold sandals completing her outfit. For some reason, he had a hard time tearing his gaze from her toenails, which were painted pink.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she said, her heart dropping to her knees. "What - what are you doing here?"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Ms. Greyson - I'm so sorry - I didn't realize you'd have plans. Not that you shouldn't have plans. Ted called - apparently there are discrepancies with the committee financial reports. He mentioned that you may have some receipts or - paperwork. I stopped by to - well, if you just give me the paperwork, Ted and I can sort though it."

Amelia's date spoke for the first time. "For Carnival Committee? Amelia, I know how much Carnival Committee means to you - to the community - if you need to cancel, I understand."

"No, Jack" she said, female pride unwilling to let her drop everything just to go over financial reports with Mr. Mikaelson.

"Excellent!" Klaus said. "Jack - thank you so much for understanding, I'm sure you know how much we rely on Ms. Greyson to keep us in line." Klaus reached out to shake his hand - and to pull him out of Ms. Greyson's house and down the sidewalk.

"Well, of course, I remember when my son -"

"That's fantastic, Jack - thanks again!" Klaus said, pushing him on his way.

"Amelia, I'll call you," Jack called over his shoulder as Klaus pushed him along.

Ms. Greyson stood in the doorway, wondering what just happened. She glared at Klaus.

"What?"

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye," she said.

"What, like a good night kiss?" And for some reason, the wolf in him snaps, and starts to snarl.

"Maybe!" she said indignantly even as she blushed.

He laughed to cover up his jealous reaction. "Shall I call him back?"

"Forget it. I'll go put on something more suitable for reviewing financial reports," she muttered. "You may as well come in." She walked down the hall and into her bedroom, slamming the door.

Klaus entered and closed the door. He looked around curiously at Ms. Greyson's home, and noticed the fresh cut flowers in a vase on a nearby table. Not the least bit scrupulous, he read the card - _Looking forward to tonight - Jack_.

Klaus snorted. The man actually sent flowers before a date - who does that anymore? He realized too late that Ms. Greyson had actually been looking forward to her date with Jack.

_Jack - she could surely do better than Jack, couldn't she? Now, if I had a date with Ms. Greyson, I certainly wouldn't have allowed her to be hijacked - whoa - if I had a date with Ms. Greyson?!_ He laughed silently to himself. Where had that idea come from?

_Well, alright, sure, she looked rather nice tonight_ - her dress certainly had shown him curves he hadn't known she had - more lovely than he had ever seen her, but Ms. Greyson - she was his daughter's teacher.

More importantly, now that he had Caroline in his sights, he certainly wasn't going to get sidetracked. He shook his head as if to clear it. No, Ms. Greyson was Hope's teacher, and his friend - sort of, and that was how it would remain.

Ms. Greyson came out of her bedroom and Klaus felt his insides relax - there was the Ms. Greyson he knew. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had slipped into jeans and a light blue sweater. Sneakers completed the ensemble.

"I'll just gather up the paperwork I have - just take a second," she said.

Klaus nodded silently, relieved to have the old Ms. Greyson back.


	12. Chapter 12 - Into the Night Part III

"Rebekah, you were fantastic," Caroline said as Rebekah and Henry joined them at their table.

"Congratulations," Elijah said to Henry.

"Aunt Rebekah - you were great," Hope said.

"Thank you, darling!" Rebekah swooped down to kiss Hope's cheek.

Rebekah and Henry grinned, pleased with their second place showing.

"We only have a moment, they want the finalists backstage for some promotional photos," Rebekah said. "And they want Hope and a few of her classmates in some photos too. Come along, Hope."

Hope hopped off of her chair and went with Rebekah and Henry. Elijah and Caroline were left alone.

"So - that's great, Rebekah looked happy. Henry seems like a nice guy," Caroline said.

"Very nice," Elijah replied, wondering why he felt nervous around her all of a sudden.

"They looked great out there. Oh, they're opening the dance floor to everyone," Caroline said.

"Shall we?"

"Of course," she replied, grinning.

As they walked to the dance floor, a woman intercepted them. "Ms. Forbes, Mr. Mikaelson, what a pleasure to see you tonight!"

"Ah - good evening," Elijah said.

"Hello Ms. Kimball," Caroline said politely.

"Oh, please, dear, call me Marcy! But where's Mr. Mikaelson - the other Mr. Mikaelson - this evening?"

"Oh, he had to pick up Ms. Greyson and go over some financial reports or something for the carnival committee," Caroline said.

"Please excuse us," Elijah began.

"Of course," she said brightly.

Elijah and Caroline made their way to the dance floor as the music started - a slow waltz. As Elijah gathered her into his arms, she couldn't help but shiver as his arm circled around her waist, his hand lightly resting on her back. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she was doing something - wrong.

_For heaven's sake, I'm not actually engaged to Klaus!_ she told herself firmly. _And even if I was, there's nothing wrong with sharing a friendly dance with his brother._

Elijah couldn't seem to think straight. All night his attention had wandered from the dancers back to Caroline, seated across from him. He delighted in the way she smiled and clapped enthusiastically for all of the couples, including the ones who clearly had no talent, but were having a good time.

Now, holding her this close, the scent of her hair, her perfume - her - was filling and clouding his mind. He had to restrain himself from pulling her even closer to him, from moving his hand just a few inches lower. A thousand years worth of muscle memory guided his feet since he was unable to concentrate.

He tore his gaze from her and cleared his throat lightly.

She looked up at him, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm - fine," he said, looking into her eyes.

Caroline couldn't tear her eyes from his. She wondered briefly why he kept looking at her like that - like he wanted to - _kiss me_? Her tongue darted out quickly to moisten her lips and she saw his eyes darken briefly as they caught sight of her tongue.

He could feel himself lowering his lips to hers; he couldn't seem to stop himself. Caroline wasn't pulling back, she wasn't telling him to stop, in fact, she was tilting her lips towards his as well -

"Uncle Elijah!" Hope said, running to them. "I got my picture taken and it's going to be in the paper!"

Elijah snapped his head towards his niece as she approached and Caroline quickly turned her head away from them, trying to regain her composure.

_Did I just almost kiss Elijah Mikaelson?_

XXXX

"Finally - there it is," Ted said, the relief evident in his voice as he tallied up the numbers one final time.

Amelia sighed in relief and smiled.

"Wonderful," Klaus said dryly. "Drinks?" He got up and strode over to his liquor cabinet.

"No, thanks," Ted said, standing up and stretching after sitting down for hours. "I've got to get home, Mitzi will be getting worried." He began to gather up the paperwork neatly and place them into his briefcase.

"Thanks again, Ted," Amelia said.

"No problem - sorry to ruin your Saturday night," he said ruefully.

"It's okay."

"Mr. Mikaelson, I'll see you later," Ted called out as he walked away, leaving Ms. Greyson and Klaus alone.

Klaus walked over to where Ms. Greyson sat on the couch.

"You should have at least one drink tonight, after I so thoroughly ruined your date," Klaus said, handing her a glass. She smiled faintly as she reached out to take it.

"You did look rather lovely tonight, Ms. Greyson."

It was an innocent comment, a compliment even, but she felt an unusual surge of anger overwhelm her. Maybe because she was tired, or maybe because her brain was totally fried after reviewing numbers and financial reports for the past three hours - or maybe because she was just plain sick of him seeing her as "Ms. Greyson."

"You don't have to sound so shocked," she snapped, looking at him.

As their gazes locked onto one another, she realized that for the first time, he was really looking at her and seeing her - not Ms. Greyson, but Amelia.

She looked away from him, closing her eyes. Her usual common sense had caught up to her and now pride was quickly being erased by embarrassment.

"I should go," she said, standing up quickly and placing her glass on the table.

Klaus grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. He hesitated for just a second before he leaned down and kissed her.

She gasped against his mouth, taken by surprise, and Klaus, never one to let an opportunity pass him by, slipped his tongue between her lips, enticing hers.

She clutched his shirt, letting him lead, letting him take control, letting him pull her closer to him. His hands, on her waist, began to slide possessively up her body, all while he continued kissing her. She let our a tiny moan, and he thought he would come undone then and there.

He broke the kiss, intent on moving them to a bed, sofa, table, chair - anything, he could claim her on. He looked at her, the wolf in him growling with masculine pride as he took in her appearance. She was panting slightly, breathless from his kiss. Her lips were red and swollen - he did that. The sensitive skin around her mouth was red from his stubble rubbing against her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dazed, filled with lust for him. All for him. She wanted him.

Reality came crashing onto Amelia. Yes, she had just gotten her heart's desire, and probably more, but - _Fiancee - he had a fiancee! What kind of man_ - worst of all, if she didn't stop this now, she wouldn't have the willpower to stop him if he kissed her again - he was practically married and she would be the other woman!

She slapped him.

He barely flinched, and he stared at her, confused.

"Why - why did you do that?" she cried in anguish.

She jerked herself away from his grasp, staring at him a moment with tears in her eyes, and ran off.

He stood there, confused how his evening had turned out, and listened to her leave as she ran out of his house.

XXXX

By the time Amelia arrived home, her face was wet with tears and she was still trembling - from anger or lust, she couldn't tell. Anger at how he had taken advantage of her, how he just assumed she would fall into his arms and bed.

Lust because his kiss, just one kiss, was everything she had ever dreamed of and had quite possibly ruined her for any other man.

As she rifled through her purse, searching for her keys, she heard someone approaching up her walkway. She turned, heart in her throat, wondering if he had followed her, but no -

"Oh - hello," she said, wiping her tears away quickly.

"Dear, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said firmly. "Just a bit of bad news, that's all. Why are you -"

"Just walking the dog, and I saw you - are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, fine," Amelia smiled bravely.

"Well, you go on in, dear. It's late, and you look like you could use a good night's sleep," her neighbor said, patting her shoulder consolingly just as a gust of wind blew, scattering leaves across her yard and causing Amelia to shiver.

"Thank you," Amelia said. She unlocked her door and stepped inside. She waved as her neighbor continued down the street.

Perhaps if Amelia Greyson did have supernatural affiliations, she would have realized that she had just been hexed.


	13. Chapter 13 Avoidance

**So - like I said earlier, this story has gone in a direction I didn't intend when I first started. Sorry for any previous (or future) grammar or spelling errors, I've been flying through this one over the weekend in the hopes of completing it soon. Thanks a million for the reviews, follows and favorites - I love getting your feedback!**

Elijah sat down on his bed, fully dressed and contemplated the door. He had to leave his bedroom at some point. He had Faction business to attend to this morning.

He just didn't want to run into her.

He had driven Caroline and Hope home after the dance in complete silence. Hope didn't seem to notice the constraint between her uncle and Caroline. Caroline had spent the entire ride home pressed against her door and staring determinedly out the window.

When they arrived home, she had said goodnight without looking at him, and had gone upstairs with Hope.

He spent Sunday using his enhanced hearing to make certain he wouldn't run into her unexpectedly. Luckily, she had gone shopping with Rebekah for most of the day.

Realizing he couldn't reasonably conduct Faction business from his bedroom, he walked out, and immediately saw Caroline hiding behind one of the columns. He froze, ready to whoosh away, until he hear her sniffle.

She didn't notice him and he realized she was using her vampire hearing to listen to someone. He concentrated and heard what she was hearing.

"God, she's horrible, I'm not even kidding. Her sugar daddy has a real blind spot for her and is paying me the most ridiculous amount of money to give her acting lessons - no, she's literally the worst I've ever seen. When will these airhead models learn that just because they're pretty, doesn't mean they're talented -"

"Enough," Elijah said, suddenly appearing before Caroline's acting coach.

"Mr. Mikaelson, I -"

"Stop talking - you're done. Get out and don't come back."

Elijah watched the coach scurry away, making sure she was gone before turning and walking back upstairs to where Caroline stood.

She wouldn't look at him, and was crying softly.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Caroline," Elijah began.

"But it's true - and you think I'm horrible too!" She whooshed past him and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

He went after her and walked in, and momentarily checked himself as he saw her face down on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

"Caroline, that is not true, I never said you were horrible -I said that I think your talents are better employed elsewhere. You could never be horrible to me," he said.

"You were thinking it!" she cried, completely missing the last part of his speech. "I'm a joke!" sobbing harder into her pillow.

"You are not. " he said firmly. "You had a horrible coach -" He sighed. "You have so much talent and skill to offer elsewhere."

"I've always wanted to be an actress!"

"But - why? Your amazing at so many other things."

"Like what? I can't do anything else!"

"You must be joking," he said, exasperated with her. "Caroline, your organization skills and ideas are superb. If you were to stay in New Orleans, I'd arrange for you to be on the Faction in a heartbeat. You're incredibly smart, you have innovative ideas for revitalizing the city - you could be a real asset to the Faction."

"Anybody can do that!"

He laughed, "No, Caroline, they cannot. I wasn't going to tell you this, I didn't want to get your hopes up, but that idea you had for instituting a reading program for children - I'm planning on proposing it to the Faction this morning."

"Really?"

"Yes - it's the kind of program we need, not only to help children, but clean up our image, and let the city know that the Faction is more than just making sure the tourists and money keep flowing in. And it's a program that all the factions can participate in." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "If they approve it - I'll need someone to run it - organize it. I was hoping that you would."

She turned over and sat up on the bed, drying her eyes. "I don't - I've never,"

"Caroline - I have absolute faith in your ability to do this," he said gently.

She bit her lip, then looked at him - and saw that for once, someone finally believed in her.

She smiled hesitatingly, then nodded her head. "I - I thought you were mad at me," she said.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

She shrugged. "You avoided me all day yesterday after - the dance," she mumbled. Maybe she had imagined it; maybe he hadn't been meaning to kiss her after all.

"I'm not mad at you - but I do think it best if we - remain friends," he said, nearly choking on the words as they came out of his mouth.

"Friends?" she asked flatly.

"Yes," he replied firmly. "Caroline, you know how my brother feels about you."

"But -"

"I know that you don't feel the same," he said, interrupting her. "But I can't - I just can't, Caroline. Please understand," he said, and before she could say anything further, he quickly walked away.


End file.
